章 17: Solitary (4)
"That's it."
Vikir closed the book.
He had memorized the entire book, word for word.
He had memorized it so intensely that he could recite it with his eyes closed, even backwards.
And. the results were soon visible.
Ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Vikir drew a sword in the air, just as he had learned in the book.
The first tooth was drawn sharply.
Then the second, then the third.
So far, so good for an eight-year-old.
Kirik!
Then the fourth tooth appeared. It was the Baskerville Fourth, my specialty before regression.
But.
…Pot!
Vikir's hand drew one more sharp trajectory, beyond the Baskerville Fourth.
The Fifth Tooth. It was a little smaller and blunt, but it was definitely a fifth tooth.
Baskerville Fifth.
And there it was, in Vikir's hands, unsteadily recreated!
"...in the world."
Vikir repeated the gesture he had just made several times.
The result: success.
The trajectory of the sword was not quite right, given the child's small hands and short arms, but it was there nonetheless.
The fifth tooth was growing.
"... where's the knife?"
If I had a knife right now, I would have tried to aura it.
But it's unlikely there's a knife in the library.
But that doesn't mean I can't unleash Beelzebub from his slumber in the artery of my wrist.
Well, whatever.
I was so happy it almost brought tears to my eyes.
Something burning in my chest, rising to the top of my lungs.
Vikir desperately tried to calm this overwhelming feeling.
"Now, as long as I have the mana to support me, I can definitely ascend to the level of my previous life.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, he had already mastered something much stronger and more refined than his previous life.
His swordsmanship was not limited to the fifth level, but could be enhanced to the tenth level, so his future possibilities were endless.
Vikir closed his eyes and checked the mana in his body.
The mana hall that had been enlarged by the Styx River was still slowly accumulating mana.
Although it was impossible to determine the exact level of his cultivation, it was clear that his cultivation had risen to the next level.
"...Graduator!
Vikir jumped from Sword Expert to Graduator.
With the ability to create a liquid aura at the tip of their blades, Graduators are a step up from Sword Expert.
Instead of just the tip, Graduator can envelop the entire blade in an aura that is liquid, dense, and quite malleable in shape.
When the liquid aura blade of a Graduator collides with the gaseous aura blade of a Sword Expert, the result is as clear as water vapor colliding with water.
Graduators are combatants whose physical prowess exceeds human limits.
Their strength is the measure of a House's prestige and, by implication, the Empire's military might.
Vikir reached this level at the age of 30 before his regression.
...After the regression, Vikir is now only 8 years old.
That's a huge step up from where he was before.
A level that most swordsmen can only dream of reaching in their lifetime.
As a mage, he's probably on par with a fourth-circle master.
Perhaps in the entirety of the Baskerville family's nearly one hundred years of existence, there would be no one else of his age who had achieved this level of accomplishment.
" ... Moreover. The atmosphere of swordplay has definitely changed."
The sword technique that Vikir had been using before was the 'Stabbing Fang' sword technique, which was basically what the hounds of the Baskervilles were trained in.
Stabbing Fang Sword Technique. Four of them.
Vikir had pierced through countless defenses with his four fangs, piercing the enemy's heart like an awl.
Still, the stabbing fang swordsmanship was risky.
While you can quickly become strong enough to be useful in combat, there are clear limits to your growth.
In exchange for the certainty of killing your opponent, you also took a lot of risks.
It is this 'stabbing fang' swordsmanship that is best taught to hounds for use as a discard card.
However, there is something different about the swordsmanship Vikir has learned this time.
It's called the Lurking Ambush, and it's sinister and painful, moving slowly and without revealing its power or aggression.
The melody of the sword seems graceful and dignified, as if nothing is going on.
But underneath it all lies a malicious intent to inflict the worst pain on the opponent.
Once you've succeeded in stabbing, you'll be met with an unrelenting barrage of brutal combo attacks that will make you feel like you'd be better off dead.
A frenzied onslaught, while still being able to protect yourself, is the perfect swordsmanship of this whole style, the Lurking Ambush.
"Perfect for hiding power."
Vikir muttered quietly.
At first glance, the Lurking Ambush Strike bore a striking resemblance to a stabbing fang.
So it shouldn't be too difficult to hide their swordsmanship.
After all, it's called 'ambush' in the first place.
Vikir glanced around, making sure that no one was watching.
His heart was pounding with the exhilaration of reaching a higher level.
Buzzing.
The sound of a fly's wings in his ears.
I glance down at my wrist and see Beelzebub pointing the tip of a black awl at me.
"Get in there."
Vikir scolded, not daring to show his teeth.
On the other hand, he was coldly calculating how much this Beelzebub would affect his current performance.
Vikir van Baskerville.
Age 8.
A swordsmanship that can reliably reveal four teeth, and an aura that has materialized to the level of a thin substance, could be said to be at the beginning of the Graduator.
Combine that with the experience of a lifetime of battle, a fifth tooth that can be drawn unsteadily, and the power of the magic sword Beelzebub, which can absorb the skills of monsters, and you've got yourself a force to be reckoned with.
'If I put my mind to it, I should be able to take on an intermediate Graduator somehow.
A 100% chance of assassination, a 50% chance of hand-to-hand combat.
"...The question is, how far do you reveal your skills?"
Who's going to believe you when you say you're a Graduator at just 8 years old?
It would be foolish to show off your skills.
In the real world, you're supposed to keep 30% of your power hidden.
"...."
Vikir paused for a moment to consider the appropriate behavior for an eight-year-old child.
It didn't take him long to come up with an answer.
Just enough to build up Hugo's anticipation, but not so much as to put his enemies on edge.
You don't have to hide your power and live in fear.
Rather, it's the right amount of power that gives you a chance to slip under Hugo's radar.
"A provincial assignment, for example, or a place at the Academy.
As soon as Vikir leaves the library, he will have to report his findings to Hugo.
And he's already done the calculations on how he's going to pose on the proof table.
And now.
Vikir took a pair of reading magnifiers from his pocket and stared at the window for a long time.
Tsutsutsutsuts...
The cover of the 'Lurking Ambush' swordsmanship manual gradually turned black under the harsh light of the magnifying glass.
Crackle!
Soon, embers.
Vikir stares down at the burning book.
With that, the sword book that contained the ten Baskerville formulas was gone from this world forever.
It remained only in Vikir's mind.
In the distance, he heard servants scurrying about.
"What is that smell!"
"Sniff, sniff, grab and go!"
"It's not even under a preservation spell, ugh!"
The servants rushed over with buckets of water and were met by an apologetic Vikir.
"Sorry. I left my magnifying glass everywhere.... If it's something that must be reported, I'll be sure to tell the butler."
The servants waved their hands in dismissal.
"Ah, well, that's not something for the Master to apologize for."
"It's our fault for not keeping you straight."
"At least it's a good thing you're in a place with a bunch of janitors, hehe."
The servants seemed to take note of the 'if it must be reported' part of Vikir's words.
Vikir looked at the ashes on the floor.
"Well, it wasn't worth much, so I suppose it's better to pretend it never happened, and as you all know, the butler is quite busy these days with the ruby mine dispute with the Morg family, so who has time for such a trivial matter?"
The servants nodded eagerly at that.
"Aha! Yes, that's what I thought."
"Well, we lowlifes always want to make our masters feel comfortable."
"As long as you look the other way, we're fine."
Even they are glad to be spared the annoying report.
"I see. I'm afraid I'm going to have a lot of work to do cleaning up the library, but I'll make sure the burned books are filled with appropriate transcriptions since I remember the contents."
Vikir made sure to finish and turned away.
"You are a good man. You've thought of the servants, and I'm sure others will enjoy this tale."
"Huh! Hey, you're supposed to tell them about the book!"
"Just praise him, he's nice and impressive!
My hearing has become more acute as I've gotten better.
I could hear the servants chattering softly behind me, but I didn't pay much attention.
He needed to rehearse how he would respond to Hugo's summons as soon as he left the library.
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